April 4, 2023
Problems of aging population, lack of manpower, and youth unwillingness to join have emerged in industries like construction, logistics, elderly care. Alleviating labour shortage is imperative. DAB believed society needs to consider simplifying procedures and documents for importing foreign workers, and shortening approval time, to relieve manpower constraints facing industries in the short term.
While simplifying foreign labour import mechanisms, the government should also make good use of local human resources, strengthening local training through "first-hire-then-train" or "training allowances" to proactively protect local workers. To this end, DAB conducted in-depth research and wrote a policy proposal on "Alleviating Labour Shortage" to pool wisdom and jointly formulate suitable manpower supplementation strategies.
Proposal highlights:
The Labour Advisory Board can formulate a "Labour Shortage List" and introduce "Special Schemes" based on "projections" and data, an objective, transparent and scientific approach.
Establish "Shortage Occupation Employment Program" to promote local training and employment, using financial incentives to attract locals to the industry.
The Special Plan remove 26 job categories usually not included in the Supplementary Labour Scheme, enhancing flexibility.
Special Plan would be approved by the bureau/department overseeing the industry, better complementing Hong Kong's industrial policies and manpower planning.
Media enquiries:
DAB Spokesperson on Manpower, LegCo member, Frankie Ngan (6600 2511)
DAB Spokesperson on Commerce and Industry, LegCo member, Kennedy Wong (9422 6633)
DAB Spokesperson on Food Safety and Environmental Hygiene LegCo member, Steven Ho (2682 0155)